What Growth Means to Me

I started this journey, “Growth With Mo’,” in 2025, but truth be told, this growth thing is lifelong. As I’ve begun to study growth intricately and intimately, I’ve come to see it in a new light. Today, I would like to share with you what growth means to me.

My son’s father used to tell me about the importance of words. He would both challenge and encourage me to “look it up in the dictionary.” Though I didn’t always like it, I’m truly glad he did. I looked up the definition of growth recently, and that’s what inspired this blog post.

I would describe myself as uniquely complex. My brain loves to break things down, and I’ve learned along the way that even within one singular thing, there are many moving parts. I embraced The Most High’s voice telling me it was time to grow — that’s what inspired Growth With Mo’. It became apparent that like myself, growth is complex. I started to see...experience…and understand growth in various ways.

It’s been about a year since I really started paying attention to what growth looks like to me. Not anyone else’s definition, but truly my own. I am in my growth season. I’m in active growth — constantly changing, slowly evolving. So when I looked up the definition of growth, I expected there to be many definitions, and there were. I’m going to highlight a few that spoke to me.

The Process of Growing

I love this definition. It’s truly beautiful to witness the process of growth. I’ve always wanted to see people win, but I was especially rooting for those who never believed they could. See, it’s something about not even having the desire to be the best — just fighting to be your best — that hits different.

As I mentioned, I’m in an active process of growing. Within this process, I processed that growth is continuous. It doesn’t end. It doesn’t cover only one area. You commit to the work it requires. It’s like my relationship with the Most High — it’s continuous. My journey with my son — it’s continuous. The Father’s precious love — it is also continuous. The journey continues. The growth is still happening.

Progressive Development: Evolution

My first thought after reading this definition was Evolving Mo’. The Mo’ that’s beginning to walk in her identity as a daughter of the Most High. Mo’ that desires to be a better mother, a better decision-maker, a better steward, a better business owner, a better Mo’. Mo’ that is learning only what her Father purposes is what matters. Only the relationship with Him through Messiah is eternal.

The Mo’ that wants to share her story so others know The Ancient of Days, The Creator of All, is indeed real. If you look more at my story and less at me, I believe you can see Him — His hand on my life. And most importantly, I pray you see His hand in yours too… even if you have to grow into it.

Increase & Expansion + The Result of Growing

Both of these are their own definitions, but I’ve decided to merge them together. I’m praying the result of my growth yields increase and expansion in every area needed.

May the Father increase in me as I decrease.

May my patience increase as my defiance decreases.

May my self-control increase as my overindulgence decreases.

May I continue to gain as I am willing to lose.

In Messiah’s name.

At this point of taking in growth’s definitions, many things had begun to resonate. Yet, something still felt incomplete. I was expecting growth to be a verb, not a noun. All these definitions thus far have been for the version of growth that’s a noun. Simply a thing. I was in agreement with the definitions that stood out and all, but where was the action? Growth is all about that action!

This led me to look up the definition of grow. Ahh… there’s my action. The verb I’d been looking for.

Here are some definitions that stood out:

To Develop to Maturity | To Undergo Development

Okay now, we can just stop the blog right here. Chilleee. When I saw this definition, I said, oh yessss — that’s the one. Maturity has entered the chat.

I pray to continue to develop and mature, and to do so gracefully. To become more seasoned, sharper, more poised. I desire to develop into a mature daughter of Zion. I can see her. I’m a ways off — both from where I’ve been and where I’m yet to go — but I can see her. I can feel her emerging.

The version of me that’s a complete servant to the Most High. All praises to יהוה.

A work has already been begun in me, and y’all know what Philippians 1:6 says, right?

If not, type it into your nearest search bar. I’ll wait 🤎

To Pass Into a Condition | Become

Growth is all about becoming. What you are to become. Each person has their own process. What the Father has to work out in me may not be the exact same as what He has to work out in you. Maybe I struggle in an area you don’t, or vice versa. All of us are unique, and He knows us like the back of His hand. To become is to grow in Him.

Ready for a hard truth? Sometimes growth equals loss too… not just gain — which brings me to my close.

To Grow Out Of | Grow Apart | To Stop Doing

All of these have something in common: they usually hurt.

Yet they still equal growth. Let’s take a closer look.

To grow out of something is, in essence, to say you’ve expanded. You no longer fit in certain places. That’s the first pain. This is usually followed by growing apart from people that you love but must separate from because they still have the same mindset you have now grown out of. The more you’re around, the more unspoken and spoken tension can creep into the chat. People you mean no harm may start to take offense to you. In honesty, it’s a sign you’ve truly started to change. You’re bearing fruit.

Lastly, you’ll have to stop doing some things. This is the one that really hurts. You’ve already begun to outgrow some things, then grow apart from some people, resulting from you no longer doing the things you used to. At times you may find yourself doing some of those old things… because while your conviction says let go, your comfort says stay.

I’ve learned this walk is not about comfort.

Having to stop partaking in the things you loved, with the people you loved doing them with, is a very uncomfortable part of growth. It’s part of becoming a new thing.

As beautiful as growth is, sometimes we forget about its pains. Growing pains are a necessary part of growth.

Growth is as beautifully complex and intricate as this journey. I’m grateful to be in process.

All praise to the Most High 🙏🏾

Keep Going. Keep Growing.

— Growth With Mo’